The WNBA was thrust into the national spotlight unexpectedly earlier this week when Minnesota Lynx forward Napheesa Collier put commissioner Cathy Engelbert on blast for her unsettling attitude toward some of the league’s top stars.
Collier called Engelbert negligent with the way she runs the league, calling the WNBA’s leadership under her the “worst in the world.”
She also made sure to let fans know what Engelbert really thinks of the W’s top stars like Indiana Fever guard Caitlin Clark, Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, and Dallas Wings rookie Paige Bueckers.
“I asked how she planned to fix the fact that players like Caitlin, Angel and Paige, who are clearly driving massive revenue for the league, are making so little for their first four years,” Collier stated. “Her response was, ‘Caitlin should be grateful to make $16 million off the court, because without the platform that the WNBA gives her, she wouldn’t make anything.’”
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Engelbert’s words caused a social media firestorm, prompting hundreds of fans to put her on blast on X and Instagram for failing to acknowledge that Clark was drawing record crowds and earning millions of dollars even while she was starring for the Iowa basketball team in college.
She released a statement on social media shortly after Collier’s press conference essentially stating she was disappointed in how Collier misinterpreted what she said.
“I am disheartened by how Napheesa characterized our conversations and league leadership, but even when our perspectives differ, my commitment to the players and to this work will not waver,” Engelbert stated.
The social media backlash didn’t paint Engelbert in a favorable light, and made her look even worse when the Sports Business Journal reported this week that the WNBA is heading toward a leadership change with Engelbert “likely” on her way out.
“The sources said Engelbert’s presumed departure, six years after arriving from Deloitte, is relationship driven, tied to the way she has dealt with colleagues and players amid unprecedented growth within the league,” SBJ’s Tom Friend wrote.
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“Tuesday’s comments from an influential player such as Collier presumably won’t help Engelbert’s already unstable public standing and most likely exacerbated it. … Sources said her exit is not imminent and that it is possible she could decide to leave on her own. Sources also said any move by Engelbert would be unrelated to the league’s present CBA standoff with the players’ union.”
Even if the WNBA wasn’t planning to move on from Engelbert, it’s difficult to see the league finding a justifiable reason to keep her around knowing how she’s perceived among its players.